Roundtable Discussion: What To Expect From Nintendo’s E3 Conference

The team got together to discuss what we thought would come out of Nintendo’s E3 Direct. Be sure to tune in at Midnight on Wednesday morning.

If I had to pick one of the big three to be excited about, right now. I would have to choose Nintendo. Sure, we have plenty to be excited about form Microsoft and Sony. While the Wii-U seems to get a lot of hate from the community as a whole for the lack of games and the fact it is using older Hardware then these next gen consoles. What people are overlooking right now is the position Nintendo is in. They are no longer in their launch window, they have had time to develop and build a big line up of games such as Bayonetta 2, A new 3D mario title, new Mario Kart, The wonderful 101, Pikmin 3, a new super smash brothers and who knows if link to the past 2 is the only project the Zelda team is working on.

While The Xbox One and the PS4 will have launch titles, I feel that some of titles they will be showing at E3 will still be quite far away. Nintendo is no doubt going to try push some of their big titles out before or during the launch window of new consoles. Not to mention they are using Nintendo Direct to bring their news to everybody. Whether or not they did this to generate interest, or to escape time constrictions of the standard press conference. Nintendo seems to be gearing up for a fight, and I have to say. I’m excited to see what they got.

I feel like Nintendo are going to come out of the blocks and give the Wii U a stellar lineup for holiday. Whist the first 6 month have been absolutely painful as a Wii U owner, the worst is over. They have a ton of games left over from their “launch window” and have already announced 3D Mario, Mario Kart and new Super Smash Brothers for E3. I expect that they’ll also announce a few new Wii U titles for next year. I definitely expect them to tease a new Metroid and definitely a few new eShop exclusive games.

I think that the 3DS will be a lot tamer this year around. It’s already had a stellar release year and will continue into the holiday season. I think that we could see a price drop on the original 3DS and possibly even a small redesign.

Nintendo, having ditched the idea of a main presentation this year at E3, are probably going to play it more lowkey. However, with the right touch and an impressive set of games, Nintendo could easily walk away as the winner here. No gimmicks, no always online rumours, no used fees and no mandatory Kinect means Nintendo already has a huge upper hand here.

If Sony manages to bungle the PS4 I could seriously start looking at the WiiU as a main contender. We’re looking at a HD remake of Wind Waker, a possible new Mario Kart and more. While no one denies that Nintendo are simply rehashing old ideas, it seems that they keep selling and sell very well, so why judge them for sticking to what they know? Otherwise, I’m not anticipating much on the Nintendo front, especially after they ditched the presentation aspect. Just a quality focus on games is all I want.

Perhaps I’m stating the obvious with a High definition (HD) Zelda. That is all I hope and need to be sold by Nintendo at E3 2013. After previewing a video at E3 2011 of Link taking on a monster in HD, whether it was that particular game continuing development or not, the world is most certainly ready for Shigeru Miyamoto (Co-Creator of The Legend Of Zelda franchise) to take stage and announce this new entry into one of gaming’s most famous and recognizable franchises. The Nintendo Wii U is Nintendo’s first high definition console after being nearly 7 years behind Microsoft and Sony in the HD category. It only seems like the right move for Wii U to develop a strong focused line up of games particularly after its unfortunate shaky start.

Game play of the announced HD remake of Wind Waker would be amazing and for Nintendo to re-confirm its December 2013 release, with this set to release this year it would almost have to push Zelda HD for Christmas 2014 release to give the franchise some breathing time. (Is anyone noticing I am a huge fan of Zelda?). Other games I would love to see announced. With perhaps game play or in game footage which I think would only boost Wii U sales are Nintendo exclusives, Super Smash Brothers HD, a Mario HD entry and Mario Kart HD, would be a safe bet for Nintendo this year.

Nintendo released the Wii in 2006 with a hope to target a wider demographic, a major percentage of these consumers were in-fact considered casual gamers. In addition to this the Wii was not even capable of High Definition content which inevitably led to the Wii not doing as well as what Nintendo had initially hoped for. 2013 brings an exciting new frontier for the Wii U and all the possibilities this console has to offer as well as player compatibility with use of the 3DS.

Rehashing old content is something Nintendo do with such a finesse, often leading to a more enjoyable experience. An example of this would be the endless Mario Parties, Mario kart even Super Smash Bros ! None the less every time these games get remade, the quality goes up. Next week at E3, I suspect Nintendo will give us more information regarding new exclusive games some old, some new and a fair idea about how the Wii U is going to stay relevant and competitive in the new gen of consoles.

Founder and Managing Editor of PressStart. My first console was the NES and I grew a major love for gaming in the PS1 days, playing games such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Ape Escape and Medievil.

Isaac King

Tyla: I don’t think think that the the Wii performed under initial expectations. I remember Nintendo constantly upping their sales projections in the first couple of years. A more accurate statement would be that it did not have the staying power of the other consoles once HD TVs became ubiquitous.